February 28
1800s 1900s-1930s *1900 - John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson sign contracts with the Baltimore Orioles of the National League. When the long-rumored move by Baltimore to disband occurs, the two players are assigned to the Brooklyn Superbas, but they will refuse and sit out the first third of the season instead. Finally, McGraw and Robinson are sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. *1903 - A syndicate headed by Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss and James Potter buys the Philadelphia Phillies from John Rogers and A. J. Reach for $170,000. It will be another seven years before ownership interest in more than one team is prohibited. *1926: **Arriving for spring training, a chastened John McGraw announces that he is through with the real estate business. McGraw's involvement with Pennant Park last year cost him more than $100,000. **At Crescent City, Florida, a train carrying several Cleveland Indians players derails. No players are injured and pitcher George Uhle sleeps through the incident. *1929 - The Chicago White Sox send veteran outfielder Bibb Falk to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for catcher Martin Autry. Falk will hit over .300 in each of his three years with Cleveland. *1931 - Ban Johnson dies in St. Louis, Missouri, at age 57. Johnson had served as the founder and first president of the American League from 1901 to 1927. He a dynamic and dictatorial leader until subdued by the advent of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who took office as the first Baseball commissioner in January 1921. Johnson will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1937. 1940s-1950 *1941 - The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants open the spring training schedule with a 4–3 Brooklyn victory in Havana, Cuba. Pitcher Paul Dean takes the loss. *1946 - Alex Carrasquel, Chicago White Sox pitcher, signs a three-year contract with the Mexican League – the first shot in the event that will dominate baseball even more than the return of World War II veterans. *1955 - The National League fines the Milwaukee Braves $500 for opening their spring training camp before the official March 1st date. *1959 - Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees ends his holdout after one day. Mantle agrees to a salary of $72,000 and a bonus of $2,000. He had been asking the Yankees for $85,000 after batting .304 with 42 home runs and 97 RBI in 1958. 1980s-1990s *1985 - Pitcher Rick Reuschel signs as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates and spends the first two months in the minors. After being called up in May, Reuschel wins 14 games for Pittsburgh and gains the Comeback Player of the Year Award. *1986 - In major league baseball sternest disciplinary move since the 1919 Black Sox were banished for life, Commissioner Peter Ueberroth gives seven players who were admitted drug users a choice of a year's suspension without pay or heavy fines and career-long drug testing, along with 100 hours of drug-related community service. Joaquín Andújar, Dale Berra, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Dave Parker, and Lonnie Smith will be fined 10 percent of their annual salaries to drug abuse programs. The commissioner also doles out lesser penalties to 14 other players for their use of drugs. *1989 - The Veterans Committee elects Red Schoendienst and Al Barlick to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Schoendienst served as a second baseman and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Barlick was a major league umpire for over 29 seasons. *1999 - Diamondbacks minor league pitcher Kenny Robinson is killed in a car crash. Teammate John Rosengren is arrested and charged with second–degree murder in the alcohol–related accident. Robinson have pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals from 1995 through 1997. 2000s *2000 - American League umpire John Hirschbeck is elected as the first president of the World Umpires Association. *2002 - Major league baseball announces it has rehired five umpires: Gary Darling, Bill Hohn, Larry Poncino, Larry Vanover and Joe West, who had resigned during the 1999 season. Four other umpires, Drew Coble, Greg Kosc, Terry Tata, and Frank Pulli, are allowed to retire. Births *1894 - Jud Wilson, Hall of Fame Negro League player and manager (d. 1963) *1898 - Jake Miller, pitcher (d. 1975) *1916 - Howie Krist, pitcher (d. 1989) *1930 - Frank Malzone, All-Star infielder *1947 - Marty Pérez, infielder *1951 - Jim Wohlford, outfielder *1975 - Juan Moreno, pitcher *1975 - Ricky Stone, pitcher *1976 - Bobby Madritsch, pitcher Deaths *1931 - Ban Johnson, Hall of Fame executive (b. 1864) *1963 - Eppa Rixey, Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1891) *1972 - Dizzy Trout, All-Star pitcher (b. 1915) *1988 - Harvey Kuenn, All-Star infielder and manager (b. 1930) *1999 - Kenny Robinson, pitcher (b. 1969)